FESTIVAL oh the Peoples

Chaves returns to the Gallaecian‑Roman era between August 14 and 16 with the Festa dos Povos, an initiative that celebrates the history of ancient Aquae Flaviae and promotes the city’s heritage, culture, gastronomy, and tourist appeal.

Over three days, Chaves will become the stage for a journey through two thousand years of history, recreating the atmosphere of the ancient urban settlement linked to the Empire of Titus Flavius Vespasian. This year’s edition will feature 98 exhibitors, including artisans, craftsmen, and merchants, as well as around two hundred performers and reenactors, who will bring to life the Gallaecian‑Roman market and the various thematic recreations included in the program.

The event will take place along the banks of the Tâmega River, near the Roman Bridge of Trajan, where visitors will find gastronomic offerings, beverages, handicrafts, historical and mythological reenactments, music, dance, traditional games, demonstrations of ancestral knowledge, and children’s activities.

Throughout the three days, the program includes activities at the Gladiators and Roman Military Camp, the Gallaecian Peoples’ area, the Pantheon of the Gods, and the Torture Exhibition, as well as gladiator combats, battle simulations, falconry, parades, musical performances, and ancestral dances. Each day will end with a major show on the Tâmega River.

At the Festa dos Povos, Gallaecian peoples, legionaries, gladiators, senators, beggars, slaves, falconers, and deities come together in a historical reenactment designed to engage residents and visitors, offering an immersive experience into the city’s Roman past.

Around two thousand years ago, Roman legions arrived in this territory and settled in the place where Chaves now stands. During their presence, they built defensive structures, defined the population center, constructed the Trajan Bridge, made use of the mineral waters through thermal baths, and exploited the region’s natural resources, including gold veins.

The importance of this urban settlement became so significant that, in 79 AD, during the reign of Vespasian, the first emperor of the Flavian dynasty, it was elevated to the status of a municipality. It is from this historical period that the name Aquae Flaviae emerged — the designation by which the present‑day city of Chaves was known in Roman times.